Phil Haynes : "4 horns & what ?"

(Open Minds, 1991)

When I first considered forming a second band in late 1986, I was trying to reconcile an interesting set of aesthetics: I wanted a band that could play most situations without amplification, a band that would whisper one moment and raise the roof the next, an ensemble built around the intimate dialogue of a good duet, a small group with wide instrumental color, a big band inspired contrapuntal ability, and a format where I would be challenged to assume equality with the front line. The prospect of combining two brass players with two saxophonists and drums became the irresistible solution.
4 Horns & What? utilizes the African concept of direct conversational interplay between rhythm and melody. By excluding other rhythm section players, the intimacy of the drum/horn dialogue becomes the norm. In this format, harmony returns to its polyphonic roots as an extension of the collective blowing. The result is a wide-open, acoustic, improviser's band, where everyone shares equal responsibility for solos, accompaniment, and time keeping.

Phil Haynes

HERE

Alessio Riccio + David Shea + Ellery Eskelin : "Drawing - Opus 2, Paul Klee"

(Unorthodox recordings, 2003)

On this extraordinary trio effort Ellery Eskelin plays tenor sax, David Shea plays samples & other keyboards and Alessio plays drums, loops, a wide variety of odd percussion (gong sculptures, water drums and metals, etc.) and tapes. Nice to hear something new from former downtown sampler wiz David Shea, who seemed to have disappeared from this scene in recent years. I know that he spent time in Italy a few years back recording for Sub Rosa, but even those discs have disappeared as well. Alessio's fabulous drumming is at the center of this trio, spinning and weaving his layers of rhythmic schemes as Ellery plays marvelously on top and David swirls mysterious samples and keyboard sounds around the mesmerizing blend. The artwork of Paul Klee graces the CD cover and booklet and was an inspiration for the great disc. About 69 minutes long and completely fascinating throughout !

Bruce Lee Gallanter (Downtown Music Gallery)

HERE

Rob Price : "At Sunset"

(Gutbrain)

Jazz is no stranger to eclecticism. Musicians have been bending, breaking, reshaping, and reincorporating since the very beginning of jazz history. In fact, departing from jazz tradition might as well be the definition of jazz.
If that is indeed the case, guitarist Rob Price has, with his current release, At Sunset , marked himself as a classical jazz composer and player. Combining everything from free improvisation to country, blues, and California surf music, Price has made a truly multi-genre, decidedly entertaining album. From the Frank Black-meets-Charlie Hunter tune "Main Title" to the appropriately moody "Where it Snows," Price, with the aid of percussionist Joey Baron, saxophonist Ellery Eskelin, and bassist Trevor Dunn, brings each of the album's disparate compositions alive. Executed with restraint, the music is more about mood than overt musical dexterity, and the album benefits from this collected approach.
Highlights include the already mentioned "Where it Snows," on which Dunn contributes a highly atmospheric, extended solo, supported by Baron's distinctively hollow-toned, low key drum work; a 1950s cruise down Sunset Strip, "Night Vision"; and the brooding blues "At Sunset."
Price simultaneously takes his experimentations seriously enough to give them weight, and with enough humor to keep them free of awkward affectation. An enjoyable mix, this is an album for the gut as much as the brain.

Franz A. Matzner (All About Jazz)

HERE